Jewish Heritage Of Curacao

Your first stop is the Beth Haim Jewish cemetery, consecrated in 1659, it is the oldest Caucasian cemetery on the island and in the Western Hemisphere. The site is also a Curacao National Monument.

Then you will visit another historic site also created as a peaceful sanctuary, the Rooi Catootje plantation house. It dates to about 1820 and was originally known as “Rust en Vrede,” which translates as “Rest and Peace.” The house has been the property of the Maduro family since 1853 when S.E.L. Maduro brought it as a gift to his wife Rebecca Curiel from her parent’s estate. Continue to the 17th-century plantation house Chobolobo, owned by a Jewish family, where Curacao liquor is produced. Tour the house and learn more about the family name and history.

Before leaving take the opportunity to enjoy samples of this famous local product. Next, you continue with a drive through the old Jewish neighborhood of Scharloo. Stop at the Mikveh Israel Emanuel synagogue, or the Snoa as it is affectionately known locally, rests on exceptionally hallowed ground. The Jewish faith has been practiced here without interruption since 1732. The congregation itself is even older, having been established in 1651. It was just this very fear of persecution that drove many of Curacao’s earliest Jewish residents to relocate to the island in the first place.